Machine Quilting: Log Cabins

Bobette has this amazing use of color and she put it to good use with this log cabin quilt from Kim Diehl's Simple Comforts book:

 This quilt perplexed me at first. The borders were broken up with the small border being in the middle and running through the blocks in the corners... And the background areas were more like offset ovals and they had that blasted red dot in the middle. What was a girl to do?!

 I thought on this one long and hard and finally came up with a plan. I quilted up the bear paws, I did an overall design in the log cabins (because you wouldn't see any detail due to the fabrics anyway) and emphasised the background areas.

 This design in the background areas was my little spark of genius while working on this quilt. I think it came to me about 2 in the morning when I couldn't sleep.

 I played up each bear paw just enough to make it different, but not enough to stand out. This is one of those elements in a quilt that should be a supporting role.

 Now back to those borders... I decided to feather the borders from the inside out and criss-cross them at the corners where it runs through the blocks. Then the inside border got straight lines while the outside got an orange peel type design.

All in all, the designs all worked well with each other and the quilt turned out pretty awesome (if I do say so myself). I had more fun too looking at all of the fabrics Bobette used and thinking of whether I had it, wanted it, or could still find it if needed. Her color choices and mine are so similar on quilts like this, it makes it much easier for me to envision how to quilt it, I just pretend it's mine (if even for a short while) :)

Thanks, Bobette! This one was awesome, just like the rest of yours!